
El Malquerido
2015

Representation Score
Limited
2006
Director
Jorge Luis Sánchez
Runtime
132 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetNew Showbiz Analysis
El Benny serves primarily as a cultural preservation piece celebrating the legacy of a significant Afro-Latin figure. Its strength lies in highlighting Black musical history and Caribbean cultural landscapes. However, the film adheres to traditional biographical structures, focusing on individual biography and conventional moral resolutions. This limits its exploration of diverse identities and social hierarchies.
Category Breakdown
The film does not include visible LGBTQ themes or non-binary identities. It focuses solely on Benny Moré's professional journey and personal struggles within a traditional biographical format.
The story centers on masculine leadership and professional competition. While it portrays a male-dominated musical era, it does not highlight female empowerment or roles.
The film emphasizes Afro-Cuban identity by focusing on a Black musical icon. It showcases a Pan-Latin landscape through Moré's travels across Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela.
The narrative follows a conventional moral storyline of personal redemption. It addresses historical political instability but avoids radical social critiques or examinations of Western institutions.
Moré's physical collapse and hospitalization are mentioned, but it is unclear if this explores health as a character driver. There is insufficient detail to evaluate disability representation.
Present on Screen
Limited or Absent
Official Synopsis
Based on the life of Benny Moré, the film concentrates on a period in the early 1950s when Moré leaves the orchestra of Duany and starts his own 'Banda Gigante'. In flashback we learn of his success in Mexico. Moré is caught in the events connected to Batista's coup in Cuba. Also, he tours Venezuela, where he suffers the machinations of a vengeful businessman. After collapsing and being hospitalised, Moré swears off alcohol. Some years later, he encounters his old band-mate Monchy, fallen on hard times.

2015

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1985

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1985
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